Family members discover human remains while clearing out dead father's house
A post-mortem examination of the remains began on Sunday morning.
Family members made a grisly discovery over the weekend when they discovered human skeletal remains while they were cleaning out their father’s residence after he passed away earlier this year.
The incident occurred on Saturday, May 8, in Casco, Maine -- approximately 30 miles north of Portland -- when the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Department received a 911 from an individual at 3:26 p.m. saying that they found skeletal remains in an outbuilding while they were clearing out their father’s home, the Department of Public Safety of the Maine State Police said in a press release.
Authorities did not disclose how long they thought the remains could have been there for but did confirm that the home had belonged to 82-year-old Douglas Scott who passed away earlier this year.
“The Office of Chief Medical Examiner begun a post-mortem examination on the remains on Sunday morning, May 9th, 2021,” Shannon Moss DPS PIO said. “Additional testing and examination is likely to take place throughout the coming weeks.”
Maine State Police said that investigators worked through the weekend to assess the circumstances surrounding the discovery and that detectives and deputies will continue interviewing witnesses and other potential persons of interest regarding the case.
“The Maine State Police Evidence Response team crime scene technicians are processing the scene and are expected to remain on the scene throughout the day,” said Moss in the statement.
Authorities estimate that the investigation as to who the person might have been and what happened to them will take weeks.
Maine State Police do not believe that there is any threat to the public and confirmed that they will share more information as it becomes available.